A Guilty Hope
by austism
Summary: Sorata searches the school for Shiina in a panic. His and the entirety of Sakurasou's fates changes with a chance encounter. Nanami X Sorata


_After rewatching this anime and checking for any new fics, I was pretty surprised to notice that there are no Nanami/Sorata fics on here. If you have not watched the anime or are in the process of watching it, here is a warning to turn back now unless you are okay with spoilers._

_This is a re-imagining of episode 12 and some of the events leading up to it, where there were fears Mashiro would head back to the UK. The rating may be subject to change. This story will diverge heavily from the anime right off the bat._

_This is the first thing I've ever written outside of school. I plan to continue this, but leave a comment if you have any tips, suggestions or want to see more._

_Disclaimer: All credit goes to the original creators of The Pet Girl of Sakurasou._

* * *

Sorata runs through the hallways of the school with beads of sweat dripping down his face. His heart sinks a little lower with each empty room he steps into, but he won't give up. He can't give up. He finally knows how to put his feelings into words.

Ever since the Nyaboron premier, when the atmosphere in the showroom was nearing hopelessness, when Shiina brought the room back to life with her heartfelt yell:

"THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING!"

Remembering this, Sorata flinches and grasps his chest. It is just then that he notices how quick and shallow his breathing is. He must have been running almost non-stop for 20 minutes now. His adrenaline and clarity of purpose kept the fatigue away, but now that he has stopped, he can hardly stay standing.

"I really need to work out more." Sorata says to himself.

He takes a few deep breaths and prepares to continue his search when suddenly his phone vibrates. He fumbles for his phone and opens it to a text from Ryūnosuke.

"Kanda. Shiina and the freeloading woman are on a flight scheduled to leave in 20 minutes. I am doing my best to delay the flight, but I won't get arrested for this. There is a taxi waiting for you in front of school. Go."

Sorata takes off towards the stairwell and begins to descend to the first floor with haste. When he rounds the corner to reach the final few steps, he nearly collides with Nanami. Sorata dodges to the left and stumbles. For an instant, he feels weightless and then comes crashing down headfirst. He feels a warm bead begin to trickle down his ear and he blinks slowly, his vision dimming and blurring further each time. He hears a voice, but it sounds distant. He makes it out to be Nanami.

Why is she yelling?

Why am I on the ground?

Kanda tries to stand, and his legs immediately give out from under him. There is a resounding ***thud* **and the world goes black for Kanda Sorata.

* * *

The first thing Kanda notices is a dull pain on the left side of his head and a rhythmic beeping coming from his right. He opens his eyes slowly and takes in his surroundings. It takes him a few seconds to understand his current situation. He is in the hospital. He is hooked up to machines. Aoyama is snoring softly in a chair across the room.

"Aoyama-san..." Kanda says in a weak and shaky voice.

_When was the last time I've had some water? I can hardly speak._ Thought Kanda.

Aoyama's eyes open groggily, and she blinks a few times. She squints in Kanda's general direction and fumbles around for her glasses on the table. After a few moments she gets a hold of them and slides them on. Her eyes widen and she jumps to her feet, immediately yelling for the nurse.

* * *

Aoyama paces the room with a worried expression while the nurse performs a multitude of tests on a confused and increasingly agitated Kanda. Kanda asks various questions including:

"Why am I here?"

"Aoyama, what's going on?"

"How long have I been here?"

"Why will no one tell me anything?!"

The nurse seems to be finished evaluating Kanda's condition and lets out a sigh of relief. She looks at Kanda and says cheerfully, "you'll be fine kid."

She turns towards Aoyama and with a noticeable more solemn tone tells her "It's probably for the best that you tell your boyfriend what is going on, hun."

She turns back towards Kanda and says "Don't let that one get away, ya hear? She's hardly left your side since you got here." She winks at the two as she leaves the room.

Kanda stares at Aoyama dumbfounded, a light blush dusting his cheeks.

Aoyama has been rendered a stuttering mess by the nurse's parting comments.

"Now, now don't ge-get the wrong idea, punk. They wouldn't let me through if I didn't sa-say I was your girlfriend." Aoyama nearly yelled while fidgeting with her fingers in her usual way. Kanda laughs for a moment and looks towards Aoyama who still refuses to meet his gaze.

"So, what happened to me? Why am I here Aoyama?" Kanda asks.

The blush leaves Aoyama's face as she solemnly says "Kanda-kun... You fell down the stairs when we were looking for Shiina."

Tears begin to run down her face as she continues.

"You've been unconscious for two days. If only I hadn't gotten in the way..." She trails off.

"Shiina is gone."


End file.
